Checking in from Cairo

[bintbeled]

Eshe, this brings back so many memories! Thanks for posting.

[leylalanty]

Originally Posted by bintbeled

Eshe, this brings back so many memories! Thanks for posting.

Me too!

[jjbronson]

Eshe, your writing is just wonderful. I was truly transported along with you. My 9 year olds dream is to visit Egypt. Boy, I don't know! Doesn't quite seem like the sort of vacation for a family with young girls! Perhaps when she is older, much older, lol. I can't imagine not just being able to go to the Pyramids on your own or Museums unhindered. Wow, so different. It really sounds a bit exhausting.

Thank you so much!
Julia

[HubicRuzz]

Originally Posted by eshe

9/24
We were hoping to see our Japanese friends on the station TV. They were filmed drumming on the street here but the video loop was too long, after 10 minutes we gave up.

Hi Eshe,

These Japanese friends of yours who drum, are they these guys?

http://www.kwaiesa.net/

[eshe]

Yes, Tabla Kwaiesa. Do you know them? They are amazing!! They told us the police came and stopped them but someone filmed it and put it on the subway station.

I'm so glad my journal has been enjoyable!! Thanks so much everyone!! I don't have the memory stick with me now, I'll have to post after we get home. 12 hours!!xoxoxoxo

[HubicRuzz]

Originally Posted by eshe

Yes, Tabla Kwaiesa. Do you know them? They are amazing!! They told us the police came and stopped them but someone filmed it and put it on the subway station.

I'm so glad my journal has been enjoyable!! Thanks so much everyone!! I don't have the memory stick with me now, I'll have to post after we get home. 12 hours!!xoxoxoxo

I know of them. I sent them an english email a year ago but they never replied.

[nuriyyayasalam]

Originally Posted by jjbronson

Eshe, your writing is just wonderful. I was truly transported along with you. My 9 year olds dream is to visit Egypt. Boy, I don't know! Doesn't quite seem like the sort of vacation for a family with young girls! Perhaps when she is older, much older, lol. I can't imagine not just being able to go to the Pyramids on your own or Museums unhindered. Wow, so different. It really sounds a bit exhausting.

Thank you so much!
Julia

Dear Julia,
don't worry, Cairo is normally no problem with kids, I took my three children two years ago with me, as they had 14, 12 and 10 years; they were fascintaed by the pyramids and the Museum, by the Felukka trip on the Nile, the Zoo and as well well by the Marryland - a kind of attraction parc, the hotel had a garden with swimmingpool, and the Egyptians themselfs, they love children.
Cairo offers many possibilities to spend vacations there as well with kids;
I will take my children again with me next year.

Welcome in Cairo
Nuriyya

[eshe]

Originally Posted by HubicRuzz

I know of them. I sent them an english email a year ago but they never replied.

They sometimes get nervous speaking in English. What email account did you mail to? If you need to contact them again let me know

[HubicRuzz]

Originally Posted by eshe

They sometimes get nervous speaking in English. What email account did you mail to? If you need to contact them again let me know

I see. I think just used the email address off the website info@kwaies.com .

If I remember correctly I was asking if sell the drum shoulder straps and delivered to Australia. But now I've just got a makeshift strap using a guitar strap and some gardening string.

Probably got all too hard for them to reply in English.

[zumarrad]

A potentially dumb question: is French of any use in Egypt? Is it more/less understood than English?

[beafarhana]

Originally Posted by zumarrad

A potentially dumb question: is French of any use in Egypt? Is it more/less understood than English?

English is going to be more useful, on a practical day-to-day level than French. English is more widely understood.

[nuriyyayasalam]

Originally Posted by zumarrad

A potentially dumb question: is French of any use in Egypt? Is it more/less understood than English?

Hello,
English is more common as a foreigner language in Egypt, you will find as well street indications in English, and in school they started mostly with English as first foreigner language.

But you will be not totaly lost with French, because in Cairo, you have also French influences and many schools with French Tuition, but not everybody in the street or taxidriver is speaking or understanding French.

I am myself, I am speaking several languages, but in Cairo English is for the Tourism the most common language

Welcome in Cairo
Nuriyya

[eshe]

9/29

The only thing we had planned for today was CD shopping and checking email. We made a stop at an internet café down the street because the hotel’s internet is not working again and then set off to shop. Most of the shops around us just carry cassettes. Lonely Planet recommended a place in Arkadia Mall, Vibe and Diwa. All I saw in Arkadia was a music corner, no shops and it was a bunch of men just hanging out blasting music. I was too intimidated to look.

On the map Diwa and Vibe are just around the corner from each other so we took a cab to Zamalek. We found Diwa with no problem but couldn’t find Vibe (we think a home décor shop has replaced it). So Diwa it was. They had a maybe 3’x3’ section of Egyptian pop music (double sided) and the same area for traditional music and the rest was international. Most of the international CDs were 90-110LE but the Egyptian ones were 35-40LE (about $7US). I ended up grabbing 15 CDs for 600LE. It’s also a book store and since we’ve read all the books we brought for reading we bought some more. They have a used book section for 10LE a novel (they have a lot of old books but also some new we bought 2 of the Bourne series and another brand name I can’t remember). They also have a new book section. I think the cheapest novels were about 48LE and went up from there. I believe they also had a French section in addition of course to Arabic. And there was also a big kids section too.

They have a point system there. Every 100LE equals one stamp. After 20 stamps you get 100LE off. I got 7 stamps total from my 1 visit!

There wasn’t much else in the area so I flagged a cab to get back to the hotel. I said “Taalat Harb” he nodded, we got in and he started driving. I wasn’t really paying attention until I noticed we were headed for Giza. I asked him where he was going and repeated “Taalat Harb.” I’ve never had a problem with a cabbie understanding me here for Taalat Harb. He pulled over to the side of the road and asked 2 girls to “translate” for him. They understood no problem, but apparently he had a problem with the destination now. He got out of the taxi and flagged down another taxi and told us to get in that one. As we were getting in he grabbed the door and started asking for 10LE for himself and 10LE for the other driver. My partner said “for what?!” After a few minutes I was so frustrated I said “just give him 5”

We finally got back to the hotel and one of our friends was working so we sat with him and talked for a bit. He wanted to see what CDs I had bought. He sorted them into piles of his favorites and then sorted them again “you can do a show with these CDs.” We chatted with him for a bit and then went into the room to listen to some of the CDs.

[eshe]

I really love a lot of them, and I was very excited to open Hamaki because our friend said it was his favorite. Imagine my disappointment when there was no CD inside the case!! I went out to the lobby and he tried to call Diwa but no one was picking up (it was about 6:30 and he thought they might all be breaking the fast still, so he told me to come back in 15 minutes). I went out a bit later and there was a new guy working at the front desk. I explained what happened and noticed on my bill that there was a delivery service listed. I asked him if he would ask them just to deliver my CDs. They said they couldn’t because I bought the CDs in person, so I had to come in that night to get it if I wanted it (because they close on Sundays).

We had a pizza at Pizza Hut and took another cab over. I got my CD without a hassle and ended up picking up a few more. I’d played my Ah Wa Nos CD so much it had scratches so for $7 I figured a new one was a steal. They also had a new CD of hers singing with kids so I got that too. I love me some Nancy!!

Our cab back tried to drop us off at Midan Abdel Moniem Riad and told us it was Taalat Harb. I’ve never had that happen in any other cab I said no told him to keep driving. I’m really glad I’ve paid attention to maps and learned a bit of my way around. If I don’t know where I’m going I usually cut the map out of our tour book and carry the page with me so that I can follow along as the driver is driving.

9/30
Our last day in Cairo!! I can’t believe a month has passed so quickly!! I’ve been mentioning it all month but my partner didn’t agree until yesterday-we are going for a month in Turkey next year!!! I am so excited!!!

Back to Cairo-we got up this morning and headed to the Mahmoud Mokhtar Museum. He designed the Mother of Egypt statue outside the Cairo Zoo. He died when he was about 40 but was really prolific. His Isis statue was my favorite. There are pieces inside a building and outside in the gardens.

[eshe]

There was also a new exhibit that opened today. The freshly finished Graffiti Exhibit. Some of the pieces are really cool. My favorite was an Om Kalthoum piece.

After that we walked over to snap some pics I’d ten to take earlier of the Cairo Tower and the Museum of Modern Egyptian art. While we were taking pictures a group of school kids from about 6-14 ran over and asked if we’d take pictures with them. It was so much fun! (I’d worn my hair down today and this was some positive attention from it I think) We spent about 15 minutes with the kids all snapping pics on their cell phones and a few of their teachers using cameras.

Then we headed over to the zoo so I could finally see the Reptile House. We walked in and straight away there was of course someone trying to lead us in another direction “No, no!! Animals this way!!” My partner just said “There are animals over here too” and the guy walked away saying “Welcome to Cairo” or something. Things like this make me feel like a second trip to Cairo would be way easier than a first.

We took a walk around and finally agreed to go inside to see the tigers. They keep them in the back so you have to pay the keepers bakeesh to see them. One of them lays down so you can pet him (I’ve never petted a tiger before!) and another is trained to growl at you and roar when the keeper signals as he calls out your country.

After washing my hands, we finally made it to the Reptile House and I got to see the Nile Crocs and Egyptian Cobras that I’d been waiting for. The baby crocodiles were really cute. I was a little upset to see newborn mice used as food for the small snakes. I wasn’t as upset to see the cute, fat, fluffy white mice used as food for the big ones. I know a snake has to eat but it just seemed a little evil. You also had the option of holding a 2-3’ crocodile if you paid the keeper a bit extra. He was carving up the raw meat for the big guys and holding the croc without washing his hands though, so I passed on that.

After that we went to the gas station just up the road and bought snacks for the plane. They have all kinds of international chips and chocolate bars and lots of juices and stuff, so we stocked up and then went to the hotel for a nap before our flight to Canada.

[kiyaana]

What a fabulous thread! It's like a good book that you don't want to end . . .

[MariaAya]

Thank you SOOOO much for sharing with us !!
For the ones that have been already to Egypt was pulling out memories, for the ones that are dreaming to go, gave a true feeling.
Wishing you the best in your new home.
Dance, health and joy

Maria Aya, Greece